A wide variety of ground engaging tools have been developed over the years for digging or tilling soil. Such tools have been designed for a variety of purposes and soil conditions. For example, sweep elements have evolved for the purpose of cutting vegetation and uplifting soil, as well as breaking up or mulching the surface of the soil, to prepare for planting and fertilizing. Ground engaging tools are also employed in cultivating agricultural soils to enhance conservation of soil moisture with minimal disturbance of the soil, which results in less erosion. Digging type machines e.g., back hoes, cable plows, and similar equipment also employ ground engaging tools supported in alignment by shanks. Typically, the ground engaging tool is frictionally held by the shank, or is welded thereto, to hold the ground engaging tool in place.
There is thus a desire for a ground engaging tool assembly that is interchangeable for the variety of purposes and soil conditions as described above. U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,117 to G. A. Peterson discloses a shank having a slot to receive a proximal end of a digging implement blade. The proximal end of the digging blade includes a downward extension having a T-shaped cross-section with a hole and a groove. The shank is slotted to receive the T-shaped extension of the blade. A resilient insert of elastomeric material slips through the hole and bends into the grooves to resist withdrawal of the blade from the shank. A drawback of this construction is that the grooves, slot, and multiple components are cumbersome to manufacture and interchange.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,378 to Yeager discloses an earth working tool assembly that includes a sweep coupled by an adaptor to a forward portion of a shank. The sweep includes a socket to receive the adaptor. The adaptor includes a pair of flanges configured to wrap around the forward portion of the shank, and is fastened to the shank by a pair of bolts. A drawback of the Yeager tool assembly is that the width of the adaptor and the adaptor's side flanges cause undesired disturbance of the soil beyond the width of the shank.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,057 to Borter illustrates a sweep apparatus having a sweep supported to a shank by a tine. The tine is coupled by a pair of fasteners to a forward surface of the shank. The sweep includes flanges configured to wrap around the tine. Similar to the drawback of the Yeager tool assembly, the Borter sweep apparatus includes sweep flanges that cause undesired disturbance of the soil beyond the width of the shank. Furthermore, the tolerance of the fasteners and fastener openings are not narrow enough to resist the multiple soil engaging forces acting on the sweep apparatus. Thereby, the tine and coupled sweep move out of alignment from the shank, leading to disproportionate wear on the sweep.
There is a desire for a ground engaging tool assembly that enhances alignment of the ground engaging tool with respect to the shank. Additionally, there is a need for a ground engaging tool alignment assembly that does not cause undesired disturbance of the soil beyond the width of the shank. Furthermore, there is a need for a ground engaging tool assembly that allows for ready interchangeability of the ground engaging tools on a ground engaging implement.
Therefore, a need has arisen to provide an improved ground engaging tool assembly configured to enhance operation of a ground engaging implement.